


It's a Long Way Down

by AmaliaIR



Series: Drabbles [19]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 8th year, F/M, Flying, Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-14 10:14:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13587924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmaliaIR/pseuds/AmaliaIR
Summary: As a new school rule, 7th years must pass a flying test before graduating. When Neville starts practicing his unstable flying skills, he runs into Pansy Parkinson and discovers that she never learnt how to ride a broom.





	It's a Long Way Down

Neville approached the Black Lake with caution. It was very dark and he could barely see in front of him, but if he used his wand for light someone might spot him and he felt far too old to be caught sneaking around the castle during his eight year. The broom in his hand felt heavy and not just because it was an old model he nicked from the Quidditch practices; he was dreading the moment he would have to ride it and practice his skills.

Or better said, build the skills from zero.

Madame Hooch had created a flying exam that the older students had to take in order to complete their Hogwarts education. Apparently after the war, Hogwarts’ curriculum was being remade to include some important magical survival skills, and flying was one of them. Nevermind that Neville spend months fighting and eventually defeating actual Death Eaters inside the school, he was now required to know how to ride a bloody broom as an escaping technique.

The exam took place at the end of the school year, and he had postponed this practice for as long as he could. It was now June and he had just a couple of weeks to learn something that most wizards and witches knew since they were infants.

He was about to reach a big tree right in front of the lake when he heard something that made his body freeze in place. Someone was talking.

“Up. Up!” It was definitely a girl and even though it sounded familiar, Neville couldn’t place it.

There were a few frustrated grunts and a stomp. “I said ‘up’ you useless piece of kindling!”

Neville’s heart jumped because whoever this was, she wasn’t very nice. He started backing away slowly, but it was just his luck that he would trip over a twig in that moment and fall hard on his bum.

“Who’s there?” the girl asked alarmed and Neville figured it was better to come clean and not risk any spells fired at him.

“Neville!” he said, raising both hands to his face to appear innocent. “Neville Longbottom. I’m sorry I was just leaving.”

He still couldn’t see who this girl was and a few seconds passed where he thought she might not say anything and let him leave, so he started to get up.

A bright light was suddenly blinding him from above and he wondered if she had been so close this entire time. “Why are you here?” she asked, the hand holding her wand the only thing he could see. She had silver nail polish.

Neville squinted, trying to avert his eyes from the light. “Nothing. I-” he didn’t want to confess anything to someone he couldn’t recognize. “Please be careful with the light. Someone might see us from the castle.”

The strength of the lumos diminished and she lowered her wand a bit. Neville held his breath unconsciously when he finally managed to make out enough details of her face to know who she was.

“P-Parkinson?” he stammered and she rolled her eyes.

“Thank you for stating my last name,” she said sarcastically. “Now tell me what you’re doing here.”

Her eyes flickered to the broom on the floor but she didn’t comment on it. Neville felt uncomfortable under her gaze but thought that he might be better off not showing weakness. He stood up, Pansy Parkinson following him with her wand the entire time until she had to point it up to reach his face, as he was over a head taller than her. “What are you doing here?” he asked in turn and she seemed to be surprised that he would dare to ask.

Neville pulled out his wand. “Lumos,” he whispered and Parkinson narrowed her eyes.

With more light Neville was able to see that there was a broom behind her as well, and suddenly the words she was speaking earlier made more sense.

“Were you practicing your flying?” he asked with genuine confusion.

She set her jaw tightly. “What do you think, Longbottom?”

He wasn’t sure if he should voice his thoughts, as she seemed pretty pissed already, but he needed to know the truth “I think you don’t know how to fly.”

Parkinson stomped her foot down angrily before turning around and picking up her broom from the ground. Neville thought that she would leave, but a moment later she was mounting the broom, her small hands gripping the handle tightly. He saw her legs tremble slightly before she kicked off into the air, only soaring two or three feet before tumbling down, face first. She yelped before hitting the ground and Neville rushed to her side in a second.

“Are you alright?” He could tell it was nothing serious and even a little funny, but it felt wrong not to ask.

Parkinson sat up and dusted herself off quickly, clearly trying to hold onto her dignity as much as possible. “You can piss off now,” she spat.

Neville couldn’t believe that he felt pity for Pansy Parkinson. “It’s alright,” he said awkwardly. “I can’t fly either.”

“Well that’s obvious, seeing as you’re also sneaking out to practice for the exam.” She stood up and picked up her broom before pointing the wand back to his face. “You won’t tell anyone about this and I’ll do the same. I’ll let you stay here for tonight, but find someplace else for the rest of your practice.”

With finality, Parkinson turned on her heel and started walking away. Neville was struck with a thought and before he could help himself, he was calling after her.

“Wait!”

Parkinson stopped walking and for a moment everything was dead silent, only the buzzing of some insects enjoying the warm air of the incoming summer. Neville realized that he had a half formed idea that probably wouldn’t work anyway, but since he already had something to hold over her head, he decided to throw caution to the wind.

“What if we help each other?” he said and she turned around then. With the soft light of his wand he could tell she was frowning. “I was going to use the lake as a practice space because I figured that falling in the water was better than plummeting fifty feet into the ground. But it would be even better if someone was around to levitate me if something goes wrong. I could do the same for you.”

Obviously, she looked skeptical. “Why don’t your friends help you?”

Neville shrugged. Is not like he hadn’t thought about it. “Because I wanted to accomplish something without them and surprise everyone for once. I’m also embarrassed that I’m the only one in my house who can’t fly. Even Hermione manages to take a decent spin now that she knows there’s a exam for it.” Neville scratched his head, knowing that the chances of Pansy Parkinson helping him were next to none, but now he was also attached to the idea of having someone there to keep him from hurting himself.

She seemed to be thinking about it and he was about to add more to his argument when she spoke. “Alright. If you’re able to keep your mouth shut to everyone else, then your plan is not half bad.”

Neville even smiled. “Perfect! When do we start?”

“I already fell over enough for today,” she said shaking her head, her black hair falling over her eyes.

“You only fell over once.”

She nodded. “That already is too many times.”

Neville had the feeling this would be even harder than previously considered.

“Same time tomorrow Longbottom,” Parkinson said before walking away, leaving Neville to wonder if he had made the right choice.

.

The first night of practice was a whirlwind of emotions for Neville. He would have said it had been for Pansy too, but he was not sure she was capable of experiencing such a thing.

He started calling her Pansy because it was easier to scream at the top off his lungs, hanging from his broom in mid air while she was checking her nails or cleaning mud from her shoes.

On the other hand, though, he had to admire the way she had set up the area for them to practice. There were silencing wards so their shouts of terror wouldn’t alert anyone, as well as a cushioning charm on the grass that would at least minimize injuries in case levitation wouldn’t completely work. It took a lot of energy to levitate another person.

The most brilliant part were the tiny balls of floating light she had set all around them, so it just looked like a slightly unnatural amount of fireflies to anyone looking from the outside.

“I’m exhausted, Longbottom. Would you mind staying in the air for more than a minute?” Pansy conjured a log and transfigured it into a stool before sitting down, crossing one leg over the other delicately. Although it was probably highly inconvenient for flying, Pansy had worn a black knee-length skirt both nights. He couldn’t really blame her, though, it was very hot. And Neville rather liked it.

He stopped hovering and landed a bit awkwardly but successfully. “What are you talking about? You haven’t even managed to take off!”

“That’s just because I’m afraid you’ll drop me!” she said, rolling her eyes dramatically. “Just try one more time and I’ll do it some other time when I’m not tired of watching you fall.”

Despite her definitely not kind words, Neville couldn’t help but snort and kick off into the air again, trying to keep his balance as he ascended. He looked down over his shoulder and watched Pansy to make sure she was looking after him. She wasn’t, of course, but Neville couldn’t help but stare at the way the balls of light reflected off her dark hair and made her skin glow. He barely noticed that she was becoming smaller and smaller until she was but a dot in the distance, and she seemed to be waving and yelling at him.

Neville tried not to freak out. He had never gotten this high up before, and it was usually the nerves of being so far from the ground what made him lose balance, so instead he tried to focus on what Pansy was saying. She was calling his name and something else, but he couldn’t quite make it out, so he decided to start descending.

He almost fell over a couple of times but managed to stay upright. When he was close enough, he noticed something strange about Pansy. She wasn’t scowling or attempting a look of complete indifference like usual; instead there seemed to be the ghost of a smile on her face, like something had made her grin and she tried to get rid of it as fast as possible.

“Sorry, what were you saying?” Neville asked as soon as he landed.

“You were out of the silencing wards, so if you had toppled over and screamed, the whole castle would have heard you.”

“Oh.” Neville wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. “Well thank Merlin I didn’t.”

Pansy didn’t say anything and merely stood looking at him. More specifically, at his chest. Neville realized then that he was soaked in sweat from the effort and concentration and he instantly felt mortified. She was probably disgusted.

“I’m leaving. I’ll let you know when to meet again,” Pansy told him as she picked up her broom that had remained untouched the entire night.

“Alright.” Neville waved awkwardly. “Good night,” he added more as a reflex than anything else.

She nodded once and took off in the direction of the castle. Neville remained there a few more seconds until the lights started to flicker off, since Pansy was the one to cast them.

He had flown better and higher than ever before tonight, but for some reason all he could think about was the possibility of Pansy smiling because of him.

.

It turned out that Pansy’s way of letting him know when they would meet next consisted of her throwing paper balls at his head during History of Magic and snickering with her friends. The biggest paper ball contained the date of their meeting in neat pink handwriting. Neville would have been upset if it wasn’t for the fact that he found the action so ridiculous it was practically endearing. Besides, having that secret with her made him feel a strange sort of thrill that kept him in a good mood all week.

When they met again, the night felt heavy with heat, even worse than before. Neville was already breaking a sweat when he arrived, but unlike the other night, he wouldn’t do much physical effort. During the first hour he sat under the tree watching Pansy attempt to hover at least a feet off the ground without losing her balance.

He was almost falling asleep when a sudden squeal startled him. Pansy had managed to rise almost to the top of the tree and she seemed to be laughing nervously as she looked around herself.

“You did it!” Neville said with a smile. The image of Pansy Parkinson floating over his head surrounded by hundreds of tiny lights was not something he ever expected to see or enjoy, but there he was, even feeling proud that a former enemy achieved something important to her.

Pansy’s eyes found him then and she looked embarrassed about letting him see her laugh, but all of that was gone from her face when she used one of her hands that was on the handle to push her hair behind her ear and she completely lost her balance. Neville wasn’t prepared; he thought he wouldn’t need his wand at all that day since she had basically never left the ground before. His first reaction was to scramble to his feet and extend his arms out in front of him. In retrospective, pulling out his wand would have taken less time.

Pansy’s shriek pierced his ears and a moment later he was catching her in his arms. The force of it made him fall down on his bum, but thankfully the cushioning charm did its job.

His heart was beating frantically as he stared into the wide and impossibly dark eyes of Pansy. She had both hands over her chest, probably trying to calm down her rapid breathing and comprehend what had just happened. They stayed like that for a moment until Neville realized he was holding her too tightly, pressing her into his chest when she was no longer in danger. He relaxed his grip and that made her click into motion.

“Why didn’t you levitate me?!”

Neville grimaced. “I wasn’t ready, I’m sorry-”

“Just because you’re big and strong and able to catch me in your arms doesn’t mean you should!” she continued, interrupting him. She didn’t seem as upset as Neville thought she’d be, though, and she also wasn’t moving from her place basically over his lap “You better thank Merlin that nothing happened to me. Honestly, you Gryffindors just hate using your brain don’t you? I always doubted you were a real Gryffindor but that stupid show of courage just proves me wrong. A Slytherin would have…”

As he listened to her rambling, Neville realized that he didn’t mind one bit being scolded by Pansy as he held her and looked into her face.

“…And why the bloody hell are you looking at me like that?!”

He snapped back to reality, a reality where being this close to her wasn’t normal. A reality where they were supposed to be parting ways very soon. “Sorry,” he mumbled and tried not to blush.

Pansy got to her feet and he did the same, looking anywhere but directly at her so she didn’t think he was a creep. They both picked up their brooms and she spoke first, apparently more calmed now. “I want to practice tomorrow too. Can you make it?”

Neville looked at her then and nodded perhaps a bit too enthusiastically. “Yes. Same time?”

“Yes. Well, see you then.” She left quickly and just like the other night, Neville stood in place until the lights and the last of Pansy’s magic died out.

.

The exam drew nearer and nearer, and Neville felt more confident every night he practiced. He had managed to circle around the tree at a decent speed, as well as mastering the landing. He could never do a dive or fly with no hands on the handle, but that was good enough for him.

Pansy had had a harder time of it. The fear of falling was greater than what Neville would have ever expected, especially for someone who had grown up around magic. But then again, so had he and he had never managed to fly until now.

She had grudgingly accepted some of Neville’s tips and on good nights she was able to fly slowly not too far from the ground and she actually enjoyed it. Neville could stand there for hours watching her zoom around him.

“Do you think Madame Hooch has a speed or height minimum that we have to achieve in order to pass?” she asked him once after they finished practicing. Pansy usually never made conversation unless it was to complain about Neville’s abilities to make sure she was safe.

He shrugged. “I think she just wants to make sure we can fly safely in case we need to. But it’s not like they’re going to make you repeat the whole year if you fail. You just keep doing it until you pass.”

“Yeah well, the humiliation is pass or fail,” she sighed. “I blame my mother for teaching me flying was too lowly for women. And my father for never giving a shit.”

Neville didn’t have a clue what to say. She had never disclosed anything so personal to him before, and he doubted lots of people had heard it either.

She walked past him, their shoulders brushing together. “Goodnight.”

Neville allowed himself to stare openly after her. If he had ever doubted that he felt something for her, all of that went away when he thought about not meeting with her again after the exam was over.

.

Neville loved the feeling of walking through the wards that Pansy set up before every practice. The ground was softer, the air calmer, and the lights made him feel like he was in a dream.

The lights and the girl flying in between tree branches.

Pansy was getting better despite the fact that the initial kick off was still the biggest challenge for her. Neville tried to teach her and even began taking off next to her so she could imitate him. They flew together for the first time during their seventh practice, all fears or falling without being caught forgotten momentarily. Neville never thought he could enjoy riding a broom so much.

The next night she stomped angrily before declaring that they’ll be doing the exam in front of their entire year. 

“Is it just so that we can all admire the way Draco and Potter fly and then make fun of the rest of us?”

Neville had to laugh at that and she sent him a death glare.

“Were you always this dramatic?” he asked, feeling courageous.

She raised one eyebrow. “Don’t try me, Longbottom.”

“You should call me Neville,” he told her, shifting from one foot to the other. “I call you Pansy.”

“Only when you’re plummeting to your death,” she said with a smirk and mounted her broom. She kicked off into the air and only almost fell once.

.

Kissing Pansy was nothing like a dream and it was everything like flying; frightening at first and then a rush of adrenaline that he could definitely get used to if he did it long enough.

And boy, did he want to.

She pushed him back and made him stumble. Neville could tell she was not disgusted though, only angry, her nose wrinkled, her hands balled into fists, and her eyes with a familiar fire.

It was the eleventh night they practiced and by this point they were both ready to at least pass the exam, but Pansy had said she really wanted to be sure that she wouldn’t make a fool of herself. And Neville just wanted to see her.

Who knew what she would do once they were out of Hogwarts? Is not like they had any connections that would keep them on the same social circle. This was Neville’s chance, and when she landed after a pretty successful fly, she was happy and even approached him to gloat. He couldn’t help leaning in and crashing their lips together not too gracefully.

But before pushing him she had kissed back.

“What the fuck?” she spat and Neville’s mind went blank.

He could sense what was coming. He had seen her walk away every night since the first one, but tonight it distinctly felt like it would be the last one. Pansy turned on her heel, broom in hand, and left without another word. The exam was in less than a week, and graduation was next. Neville had ruined his last moment to be alone with her, but for the life of him, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.

.

The eight years waited around the Quidditch pitch as Madame Hooch brought out the brooms, levitating them behind her and handing one to each student. The Quidditch players could use their own brooms if they had them, which seemed a bit unfair if you asked Neville. Those were always easiest to ride.

They weren’t divided by houses because it didn’t matter for the exam, and they were to be called out by last name to do a quick flying tour around the pitch and then come back. There would be no grades; either pass and move on, or repeat under Hooch’s instructions.

When Hannah Abbot was the first name to be called, Neville had a terrible flashback of their sorting ceremony.

Hannah flew pretty decently and the Hufflepuffs clapped her when she landed. Susan Bones was next, and then Terry Boot, followed by Mandy Brocklehurst, and maybe it was just his imagination, but Neville thought that they all looked like it was natural for them to be flying. No shaky hands or nervous sweat, just a light easiness as they all rose into the sky, making him wonder why they were taking this test at all. Were he and Pansy they only ones who didn’t know how to ride a broom?

His turn was up sooner than he expected. No one had had to repeat the exam until now and the fear of being the first one made his stomach drop.

“You can do it, Neville,” Hermione whispered in his ear before flashing a reassuring smile. He nodded thankfully and walked up to the front with Madame Hooch, who was holding a parchment and a quill that she probably had yet to use.

Neville dropped his broom in front of him and held his hand out over it. “Up!” he ordered and the broom zoomed into his hand perhaps a bit too strongly. Madame Hooch nodded, so he proceeded to mount the broom, drying his sweaty hands on his trousers first.

His eyes roamed over the crowd in front of him, something he promised himself he wouldn’t do, because as much as he wanted to know if she was looking at him, he had no idea what reaction his body would have to either answer. But the damage was done, and his heart sped up when he found Pansy next to her friends, her eyes on his direction but with an usual air of disinterest.

“Let’s get going, Longbottom. I don’t have all day,” Hooch said, bringing his attention back to the task.

He got ready to kick off, remembering everything he worked so hard to learn and trying to concentrate on not falling. Pansy’s pink lips flashed in his mind right before taking off.

There was a gasp from somewhere to his right as he rose high into the air quite flawlessly, even if he said so himself. He wanted nothing more than to look at the surprised faces of those who were certain he had no idea what to do with a broom, but he had to keep his focus if he wanted to finish the exam as well as it started.

He followed the same way that the rest had done; flying over the stands, then ducking under the house’s banners before speeding up until reaching the goal posts. He was doing a good job, perhaps a bit slower than he would have liked, but now he just had to zigzag through the hoops, land, and the exam would be over.

He had never had a chance to look at the goal hoops up this close, and they were somehow smaller than he thought. He tried to remained confident, but moving swiftly from side to side in between the three hoops was not something he was sure he could handle without losing his balance. He got to the first one and had to duck his head to avoid knocking it against the wooden structure. The second one was taller so he had to ascend rapidly and then move his body to the right, passing sideways through the center. He was very close to losing control, but he managed to stay upright. One more to go.

He had to descend again to get to the third one, and the adrenaline of almost falling had made him go faster. Neville took a sharp turn to the left and almost missed the entrance of the hoop, but he felt the broom passing through and sighed in relief. It barely lasted a second, though, because he didn’t raise his legs high enough and his right foot knocked against the inside of the hoop just as he was exiting.

The impact made him lose his balance completely and Neville’s body fell sideways as he spiraled a few times. Thankfully, his grip had been strong enough that he ended up hanging in midair with both hands on the handle.

“Neville!”

Despite the fact that he was living the exact same scenario he had been fearing for months, nothing made his heart beat faster than hearing Pansy scream his name.

Neville looked down and saw that she was standing right under him, her wand pointed up and her stance ready to act. She had ran all the way from where she stood with the others and was currently the center of attention. Neville Longbottom fell down all the time, but Pansy Parkinson had never run to his rescue.

He didn’t have long before his arms gave up entirely, and even though he knew nothing would happen to him if Pansy was there, he decided he needed to continue. He pulled his body up as well as he could, the broom also lowering down from the effort. It felt immensely difficult mounting something with no ground to push off from, but Neville put all of his strength and determination into it.

Who would have imagined that he would be so happy to be sitting on a broom so many feet from the ground?

Neville descended slowly, watching the group of Gryffindors approach the space where he would land to await him. Pansy stood to the side, her wand still in her hand and her face neutral.

When he landed he was received with cheers and applause, his friends clapping him on the back and congratulating him.

“That was incredible!”

“Who knew you could fly like that?”

“Well done, Neville!”

He smiled politely, simply happy that he was on the ground again and it was all over. For now.

Madame Hooch walked up to him, looking stern. Neville gulped.

“You need to practice your turns and control of speed, Longbottom.” She pointed her quill at him in warning before turning around. “Morag McDougal!” she shouted at the crowd, effectively telling Neville that he had passed.

Again, he was clapped on the back and even hugged by Hermione. “I’m so proud of you!”

Neville looked over the heads of his friends and housemates, hoping to find Pansy still around. She was standing a few steps in front of the rest of the Slytherins, her back to them. He noticed that they were looking at her and whispering.

She looked like she had been waiting for him to find her eyes, and as soon as he did, she mouthed something. Meet me tonight. Neville nodded and then she left to join the rest of her house.

The exam continued for another hour, with Lisa Turpin as the only one who had to repeat the exam one more time before passing. Pansy’s performance was so great, that if Neville hadn’t witnessed the past few weeks himself, he would have never guessed she was a complete amateur. She put her brave face and best act in front of everyone and it made him feel incredibly special to have been able to see her being vulnerable.

Neville approached the Black Lake once more. He had no broom and no fear this time; the exam was over and Pansy didn’t hate him like he had thought, so there was no reason to be nervous.

At least that’s what he tried telling

himself.

Neville felt warmth spread through him when he realized that Pansy had set up their spot like any other practice night. The tiny lights, the cushioning charm that was no longer necessary, and even the silencing wards.

She must have noticed his goofy smile upon walking and feeling the cushioning charm under his feet and felt the need to explain herself. “I know you’re prone to accidents anyway.”

“How thoughtful,” he replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He didn’t know if it was his imagination, or Pansy really did look more beautiful than other nights. It was hard to imagine her looking more put together than usual; she was always so careful about her image, but just the thought that she might have put an extra effort for him made Neville start to sweat with excitement.

He didn’t know what to say, though. She was the one who asked him to meet her there, and their last encounter hadn’t ended up on friendly terms, despite the fact that Neville still dreamt about that kiss.

“Congratulations on not making a complete fool of yourself during the exam,” Pansy said so casually he had to wonder if she was being sarcastic. “As opposed to me.”

Neville frowned. “Are you joking? You did ten times better than me.”

Pansy smiled then, a shy, almost there smile that seemed far too intimate even for them to share, and Neville absolutely loved it. “I wasn’t talking about my exam. I was a complete fool during yours.”

The memory of his name being yelled out by her came to the front of Neville’s mind. He supposed that was ought to be embarrassing, especially for someone like Pansy.

“What did your friends say?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Some made fun, some thought they now knew what I’d been up to when I left at nights.” She scoffed. “Like I would be capable of losing my virginity in the Gryffindor common rooms like some kind of wench.”

Neville blushed, hard. She must have known she would make him blush because she was smirking.

“They, uh… they noticed you were sneaking out?” he asked trying to change the subject.

Pansy nodded like it was obvious. “Didn’t your friends notice?”

“Not really. I guess I’m not very high profile around Gryffindor Tower.” Neville didn’t mean to sound self-deprecating, but when you’re surrounded by Harry Potter, too many Weasleys to count, and even Hermione or Seamus, people like Neville didn’t really stand out.

They were quiet for a while, the heat and the soft sound of the wind blowing over the lake making Neville feel like he was at the beach. He wished he was at the beach with Pansy.

She took a tentative step closer. “Anyway. I wanted to thank you for your help. It would have been a lot harder to pass that exam on my own and with my dignity almost intact.”

“I think you’re pretty dignified,” he said, taking a step forward himself. There was tension in the air, even he could tell.

“Is that why you want to kiss me?” Pansy asked, her voice low. Neville’s heart was caught in his throat as her eyes flickered to his lips.

“No.” He shook his head. “I think I would want to either way.”

Pansy smiled that secret smile again, and it was as if with every passing second, Neville was able to see more into her. “Even if I was a fool who didn’t know how to fly?”

“You don’t know how to fly,” he mentioned with a nervous smile. “I don’t either. It was like memorizing for a test. I’m sure we’ll never practice and forget just as quickly as we learnt.”

“I rather liked it.” Another step. “There’s nothing stopping me now from buying the newest, most expensive model and watching my mother have a heart attack upon seeing me flying over the roof.”

Neville didn’t know Pansy’s mother, but there was something about a rebellious Pansy that made his heart pound.

“I don’t know if I’ll fly again,” he said while taking a final step. Pansy wasn’t within reach yet, but he was nervous about being too forward like before.

As she came even closer, Neville could see how blushed she was and he wanted nothing more than to pull her in his arms. But he waited. And waited.

“Are you going to kiss me or not?” Pansy asked rather impatiently.

Neville stammered. “I-I didn’t wasn’t sure if-”

“Yes, yes I know,” she interrupted him. “Now shut up.”

He did. He wrapped his arms around her as her hands got lost in his hair before their lips finally touched.

Neville might not have known if he would ever fly again, but he was sure that every time he kissed Pansy, he would taste the feeling on her lips.


End file.
